The Hunger Games — Best and Worst Things
It’s been all over Booktube and Goodreads that a new Hunger Games book has been released! It was all the rave and everyone was re-reading the trilogy to revise their knowledge.
Now I have never been into the series. I really couldn’t tell you why — maybe because it was such a trend back then (kids killing each other in a game, the love triangle etc) or maybe I was more into a little show called The Vampire Diaries which consumed my teenage years — I don’t know.
Anyway, I only read the first two books and watched the first movie. I could not remember for the life of me what happened in them. I know the gist — there are the hunger games, there are 12 districts, there was an uprising, and Peeta and Katniss get married. That was literally it.
Therefore, with the new book release, I figured I might as well give it another go. Needless to say, I was hooked. I read the trilogy in one weekend and while there were a lot of things I loved about the series, there was one thing that I could not get over.
Let’s get into it. Major spoilers ahead!
Best Things
How screwed up the games are
The games are the best part of the series. From the very beginning, you understand how messed up it is. The reaping, which every child has to attend until they’re 18. How messed up is it that you’re more likely to be killed as a child than as an adult? There was a line in the book where Katniss says that if you see an old woman on the street, you’d feel inspired and want to know how they survived this long in a district so overcome by hunger and poverty.
Then there are the past games that Katniss describes. One time where everyone just watched as the tributes froze to death and another time where they had to bludgeon each other to death because they weren’t given any weapons… and it goes on.
Finally, of course, the tesserae. Probably the sickest joke you could make. If you want to survive and feed your hunger you can get more food by putting your name in. However many times you need food — which is every day — that many times your name would go in. To survive the day, you must increase your odds at your eminent death.
The trauma and the repercussions
They do not take the aftermath of the games lightly. You see it from every single character who has been in the arena how the trauma follows them for the rest of their lives. Haymitch cannot afford to stay sober. Being in the arena, training kids every year how to die a little later, has taken a toll on him. He will forever be alone in his mansion in the Victor’s Village. How ironic is that name? An entire village of victors who prefers to be alone.
Even Katniss suffers from PTSD throughout the series and mentions in the epilogue how it has been 20 years, and that the nightmares have not stopped.
The presence of her father
Her father has passed away when the story begins, but throughout the series, his presence is so powerful and constant that he becomes a character himself. Everything Katniss is, she has learned from her father. It’s a beautiful relationship and every time he comes up, I wish he had been alive which I’m sure was the intention of the author.
Worst Thing (I only have one)
Peeta Mallark
Peeta Mallark is probably one of the most useless main characters I have read in a book. Like why is this dude there? He’s such a damsel that he makes Bucky look like freaking Jason Bourne. He’s always the first to get injured, he’s always the first to get tired… he’s always the first to say, “oh I’m gonna go sleep!” and every time the cannon goes off in the games, Katniss needs to make sure he’s nearby otherwise she naturally assumes he’s dead because he is that incapable. It’s really funny the number of times in the books where she runs off calling out his name. Especially in the second one where almost all the tributes had to keep him safe and yet he still managed to get electrocuted.
In conclusion
It was such a great read! I highly recommend that you pick it up if you haven’t.
“May the odds be ever in your favor”
